Palermo International Half Marathon 2026

In Italy 🇮🇹, we love soccer so much that the country looks like a boot 👢 kicking a ball ⚽️. That ball is Sicily 🍋, mostly known as the hideout of mobsters in movies 🍿. Come on, settle into your finest leather armchair, put your cat 🐱 on your lap, and check out the schedule that awaits you 👇.

Today, we'll break the clichés by talking about an amazing race: the Palermo Half Marathon! It's in this sunny ☀️ and historical 📚 city that you will start one of the most important halves in Europe 🇪🇺. Of course, you can choose to run the 21 km (you guessed it from the race name 😅), but you can also run a 10 km as spectacular, or a 5 km to not tire yourself out 🎇. For those who don't want to worry about the time, there are also the Walkthon for 5 km and 10 km non-competitive (but with a time limit still). No matter the distance you choose, the course will make you travel between land 🪵 and sea 🌊, in this big city of 650,000 inhabitants. You will enjoy the beautiful Mediterranean beaches near the Gulf of Mondello as well as the beautiful streets of the city of Palermo, particularly Via Liberta, filled with Art Deco ✨ villas, some of which are by the architect Ernesto Basile. You will pass by all the monuments of the city: the Cathedral of Palermo ⛪, the Statua della Libertale, the Palace of the Normans with its splendid Palatine chapel or the Oratorio di San Lorenzo 😍. You will pass through green spaces like the Favorites Park 🌳. These also include old royal residences 👸 like the Villa Niscemi or the Chinese Palace 🇨🇳.

It's at the end of October 🍁 that the organizers invite you to their island 🗾. Don't worry: even though it's October, the weather is rather mild 🌞 at this time of year in Sicily, with temperatures between 17° and 20°C. And even if a few showers ☔ disrupt your race, remember that in Palermo, drama has its charm, as rapper Passi said 🎤.

The start 🏁 will be at the Politeama Square, one of the most important in the city 🌆. It notably houses the Teatro Politeama, a well-known opera 🎙️. However, it's not as famous as the Teatro Massimo, the largest on the island, where you can go after your race to admire a performance of the Sicilian Vespers by Giuseppe Verdi 🎭. Also on the route, the Quattro Canti is the busy square of Palermo: it is surrounded by beautiful baroque style monuments 🤌. Horror and thrill enthusiasts will head to the Capuchins Catacombs ☠️, which have nothing to envy to our good old Parisian catacombs. If you prefer to immerse yourself in the culture and the city, we can only advise you to wander through the historic city of Palermo. This typical and lively area 🍻 is known for its fountains, sculptures, and cobbled streets that give it a certain charm. The city also has numerous museums 👀 that tell the eventful history of Sicily... 📚 Fascinating stories, no doubt! 😏 Finally, for those who wish to grab a bite after their race, they can try some of the delicious Sicilian culinary specialties: the panelle, the cazzilli, the arancini (or arancine), the sfincione, the pani ca' meusa, the cannoli or the brioche col tuppo (a brioche filled with ice cream 🍦)... 😋

Ready to discover the wonders of this jewel of the Mediterranean? Don't wait and register for the Palermo Half Marathon! 📝